Struggling with low energy and fatigue

Having little to no energy is a major factor in accomplishment, sense of fulfillment, and the ability to finish a thing. Low energy or tiredness often makes us unpleasant company, our patience is less, we’re less tolerant, more irritable, and more likely to speak rashly.

Low energy is lack of energy; a tiredness that may be situational, exertional, or mood related. This mental and/or physical exhaustion is short-lived and often goes away with rest, hydration, activity, eating, or a change in scenery. This state may last anywhere from a few hours, a day, or a few days but it is usually something easily resolvable.

What happens when your energy level is low or depleted

• The quality of your work has decreased. You’ll find yourself doing a task several times or struggling to do something you’ve done many times before.
• You produce less results
• You are less effective in ALL of your roles
• Your grouchy and short-tempered
• You make unwise decisions
• You are less social, the desire or energy to engage with others and take part in activities isn’t there.

Low energy does not have a permanent or astounding effect on solid and secure relationships. Those individuals are your root people. They understand your daily life, your why and if they don’t. They aren’t going anywhere. They’ll water you, prune some branches, and pick up the dead leaves. Allowing you the space to recover and flourish.

Fatigue on the other hand

Fatigue is clinically defined as a constant mental or physical exhaustion that does not go away with rest, eating, drinking, exercise, or change in scenery. It’s the constant feeling of being tired all the time. It’s a persistent and relapsing exhaustion.

Fatigue affects work, social life, relationships, health, and the ability to manage your life effectively.

A fatigued person may slip up on a few things because daily practices and habits go by the wayside. Soo much energy is spent trying to maintain bare minimum. You get deeper into unintentional neglect… bills are paid late or maybe missed entirely, laundry’s overloaded and the house, well it is what it is. Cooking, not happening. A fatigued person could care less what they eat or if they eat. Fatigue causes you to: 

Talk slower.

Think slower.

Feel slower.

Move slower.

React slower.

Fatigue is characterized by

extreme tiredness, lack of energy, and reduced physical and mental capacity. The causes are varied, it may included:

• dehydration
• shift work
• physical exertion
• lack of sleep
• health condition
• Diet and nutritional deficiencies
• Medication

Signs of Fatigue

Signs and symptoms of fatigue or chronic tiredness are being tired even after sleeping eight to nine hours and …

• apathy
• Slowed reflexes and responses
• Sleep disturbances, sleeping too much or sleeping in fits
• Irritability
• Drowsiness
• Difficulty thinking and remembering things
• Unable to focus on detail-oriented tasks
• Apathy

Common causes of fatigue

For many of us, fatigue is caused by a combination of lifestyle, social, psychological, and general wellbeing issues rather than an underlying medical condition. In other instances, fatigue may be caused by an illness or medical condition. One of the top contributors to fatigue are metabolic imbalances or diseases, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or impaired glucose tolerance.

Other causes may be:

• Anemia – iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, or Vitamin D deficiency
• Depression
• Fibromyalgia
• Allergic rhinitis
• Liver disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Sleep apnea and COPD
• Alcohol or drug use
• Grief
• Consuming low carb diets and high energy foods that offer no nutrient value. These food items do not provide enough fuel or nutrients for the brain and body to optimally function.
• Lack of regular exercise
• Workplace stress and poor workplace practices, such as long working hours, irregular working hours (rotating shifts), stressful work environments, poor management, toxic work culture, job dissatisfaction, heavy workload, and more.
  

What type of fatigue are you experiencing?

There are five types of fatigue and the most common form is physiological fatigue. Let’s go a little further in the topic.

Physiological fatigue, also known as bodily exhaustion happens from some action or activity a person does. This may be too much exercises, not enough quality sleep, staying up all night, working long hours, the food we choose to eat, too much alcohol or mood altering drugs. In essence this form of fatigue is caused by what we do and not by a health condition.

The second form of fatigue is fatigue caused by something else, usually a health condition or illness. This is called Secondary fatigue. Secondary fatigue can last from months to years, it is highly individualized and dependent on the cause. This fatigue usually resolves as the medical condition improves. In other words, secondary fatigue is an expression of the disease

Third form of fatigue is that blasted chronic fatigue! Chronic fatigue is a bugger, and I don’t wish it on anyone. It is debilitating, low vibration, and difficult to diagnose and treat. For it to be considered chronic, you’ve got to feel like a zombie for six months or more. If you’re suffering from chronic fatigue, you need root people around you! The causes of chronic fatigue are varied, schedule an appointment with a health care provider for a full workup. When a person is chronically fatigued, he or she may often be depressed as well.

Sudden tiredness is the fourth type of fatigue, it occurs when fatigue hits you out of nowhere. You feel instantly depleted, there is absolutely no fight in you! Sudden fatigue may be caused by the flu or other infectious processes, chronic illnesses, too much physical activity or after doing so much for a while that your body and spirit says “enough”.

The last form is muscle fatigue. With this form of fatigue, the body feels heavy, like you’re moving through mud. And if you’ve never trekked through mud, baby, that is hard work! You put in double or triple the energy to do the same things you usually do with ease. The most common cause of muscle fatigue is strenuous exercise, but health conditions can be a causative factor as well.

Have you noticed?

When you are fatigued or tired you experience:

• Impaired decision-making and judgement
• Impaired hand-to-eye-coordination
• Reduced immune system function
• Poor concentration
• Hallucinations
• Irritability
• Slowed responses and reflexes
• Low to no motivation
• Loose lips
• Brain fog – difficulty thinking, remembering, and processing things.

Actionable Tips

Although the causes of fatigue can be many, you cannot get to the source without work. Here we like to start with the end in mind … you want more energy.

From our health beliefs, which is the union of holistic and integrative practices, symptoms are often the expression of inner chaos or disharmony. An out if balanceness that somehow lands us in an emotional, mental, and spiritual limbo. Fatigue often happens in limbo.

Now being tired is different, it’s expected as due course for a hard day’s work. It is due course for skimping on sleep or drinking too much alcohol before bed. Tiredness is easily fixed. Tiredness can and does lead to fatigue.

Correct your course of action.

Fatigue and low energy can be caused by a variety of things, such as food intolerances. However, a simple and effective way to get your Poirot on is the elimination diet. Pay attention to the clues, which are your levels of energy when eating foods, going to work, exercising and so on.  

There is food elimination diet you could try on your own or have a food allergy test done. This a process where you stop eating certain foods linked to symptoms of fatigue or dis-ease, such as sleepiness within 10-30 minutes of eating or drinking; gas or stomach discomforts after eating or drinking, alcohol sensitivity often causes bloating and gas in some. Remember, if the gut ain’t happy, you ain’t happy.  

Hydrate. Hydration gives you more energy, improves your thinking and much, much more. Dehydration definitely causes tiredness, fatigue, UTI, bad skin, hard bowels …you get the point. You need water and any liquid that pulls water into the cells.

For more on fighting fatigue, read this article.